Here's Everything You Need To Know Before Watching "Captain Marvel"

The time has come! Captain Marvel hit theaters last weekend, and here’s all the basics to know about the latest superhero smash:

1.First, you should know that this film tells the story of Carol Danvers, one of the most famous heroines of the Marvel universe.

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Danvers is a pilot in the United States Air Force who gets superpowers after a meeting with alien forces.

2.And look, they gave her good superpowers.

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Including super strength, the ability to fly, super speed, and the ability to absorb and release energy. It’s a Swiss army knife of powers. It’s a Swiss army knife of powers.

3.And while this might be the first time you’ve heard of Captain Marvel at all, you should know that this character is considered by many to be the definitive female hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

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4.It’s something you’d know if you read up on lots of Marvel comics, because she does pop up in all kinds of storylines!

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At different points in the Marvel timeline, the Captain teams up with the Avengers, the X-Men, and the Guardians of the Galaxy. She does it all!

5.The title of “Captain” is actually a pretty recent development.

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Her hero name was originally Ms. Marvel, but in 2012, the writers decided to make a small change. In the comics, Danvers changed her wardrobe and decided to take a new name in honor of the original Captain Marvel, a male character from her past.

6.This is the first Marvel movie with a woman as the protagonist.

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The Marvel Universe has several heroines, but they have always appeared as part of other teams. Captain Marvel is the first movie to star a heroine in her own right.

7.You’ll definitely see Captain Marvel’s origin story, of course…

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The whole story of how Carol Danvers got her powers will be explained!

8.And you should also know that the movie is set in the ’90s, long before the events of Iron Man or when the Avengers were formed.

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9.Luckily for all of us ’90s bbs, it is full of ’90s references!

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Look for the Nine Inch Nails band shirt!

10.The movie also includes the origin story of many other familiar faces…

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Agent Phil Coulson and Nick Fury appear in the film, and we’ll see what their lives were like before becoming two of the most important agents in S.H.I.E.L.D.

11.The film’s storyline also involves the Kree, a blue-skinned alien race we saw earlier in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

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Their story parallels that of Carol Danvers.

12.And we will see the return of several important Kree characters.

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Ronan and Korath, the villains we saw in the first movie of Guardians of the Galaxy , appear in the film.

13.But the actual villains of Captain Marvel are the Skrull people.

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These guys are another alien race (these ones are green) who’ve been involved for centuries in an intergalactic war with the Kree. In addition to that, they have the ability to change shape, which makes them a bit complicated enemies to face.

14.In fact, they are the main villains of one of the most iconic Marvel stories: Secret Invasion.

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The basic premise is that a lot of heroes are periodically “replaced” by Skrulls, and it leads to absolute chaos where nobody knows who is real and who is a Skrull. AHHHHH.

15.And in fact, there’s been a lot of online speculation that Marvel has been planning to make a film inspired by Secret Invasion for years.

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Fans believe that once we’re done with the whole Thanos/Infinity Stones storyline, the Skrull invasion will be the next great story that will link up a bunch of films.

16.And speaking of Thanos, it’s likely that Captain Marvel will be the missing piece that connects Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame (which comes out in April!).

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In the post-credits scene of Infinity War, we saw a nod to Captain Marvel. Between that and the fact that this is the last Marvel movie before Avengers: Endgame, the potential for references and filled-in plotholes are huge!

Now that you’re marvel-ously informed, you’re more than ready to hit the theaters and go enjoy Captain Marvel!!